The Midnight Basketball League begins second season

Officials gather for a pictures as they mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

Police Chief William McManus extols the the program as officials mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Photo By Photos by Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Officials gather for a pictures Thursday as they mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the Davis-Scott YMCA on the Eastside.

Photo By TOM REEL

Council person Ivy Taylor talks about the Eastside as officials mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Officer Danny Zamora, program director of the Police Athletic League, speaks at the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League on Thursday.

Photo By TOM REEL

Center director Terrence Hickman speaks as officials mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

Officer Danny Zamora, Program Director of the Police Athletic League, speaks as officials mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

Officer Danny Zamora, Program Director of the Police Athletic League, speaks as officials mark the start of the 2013 Midnight Basketball League at the David- Scott YMCA on the Eastside on June 13, 2013.

Opening ceremonies for the Eastside Midnight Basketball League at the Davis-Scott YMCA were sparsely attended Thursday night. Some attendees speculated at the reason: Game 4 of the NBA Finals matchup between the Spurs and the Miami Heat.

Even with the highly anticipated NBA game, local officials including the Police Chief William McManus and District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor were in attendance to kick off the new season of the league, which was revived after a string of negative incidents in 2011.

Then, East Side community members came together with a goal to lower crime in their neighborhoods.

“People brought up the Midnight Basketball League that they used to have,” said Taylor.

The league, in its second year, is one of many community programs funded by the United Way Neighborhood Promise Grant through the U.S. Department of Education.

McManus said the East Side has improved since the league began.

“We really focused our attention on the fundamental and root causes of crime, and, with community efforts, the benefits have lasted,” he said.

Roderick Gaines, who coached last years' league champions, played in the original Midnight Basketball League back in the early 1990s.

“I heard the league was coming back and volunteered to coach,” he said. “I've seen more numbers this year, more kids joining,” Gaines said.

The league expanded this year, allowing women to join. It is now comprised of 12 men's teams and four women's teams, but organizers are considering adding more in years to come. The Neighborhood Promise Grant lasts for five years.

Beginning June 21, games will be played Friday and Saturdays — the women's division games at 8 p.m. and the men's division games from 8 to 11 p.m. — until the semifinals on Aug. 2 at 8:30 p.m. and finals on Aug. 3 at 8:30 p.m.

“I'm looking forward to a great season and to sustain the program beyond the Neighborhood Promise Grant,” Taylor said. “(I'm) trying to find a way to keep it going.”

Officer Laura Tate, one of several San Antonio police present for the opening ceremonies, said Midnight Basketball is “a bridge that binds police with the community in a positive way.”

Tate said the community's hopes are that the league can help the players off the court, too, expanding to offer them help filling out resumés and learning financial basics.

“This isn't just about basketball. It's about their future,” she said.